Year: 2010

Local fans of the CW hit drama, “Supernatural,” will be stokled to hear that a fan convention is coming to San Francisco.

The three-day event is set for Jan. 14-16 at the Westin St. Francis and will feature appearances by series stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki.

The Salute to “Supernatural” also offers appearances by other actors
and will include fan-made video presentations, auctions, “Supernatural”
costume, trivia and centerpiece contests, “Supernatural”-themed parties and
music, and merchandising.

Saturday night will feature a live concert with the Brian Buckley Band,
presented by Jared Padalecki and Genevieve Cortese, and Creation
Entertainment. A separate ticket is required.

General admission tickets are available in advance or at the door for $20 on
Friday, $25 on Saturday and $50 on Sunday. Show hours are Friday, 1:00 –
6:00 PM, Saturday, 11:30 AM – 7:00 PM and Sunday, 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
General admission tickets for the Friday night concert are $15.

For further information, call Creation Entertainment at 818-409-0960, or visit their website at www.creationent.com.

It being the end of the year I guess all the good celebrities are just too busy to ring the opening bell on The New York Stock Exchange. So they scraped the bottom of the barrel and found Carson Daly was available. Hooray for him?

Also featured today: Lauryn Hill wows the crowd at her midnight New York show; Blair Underwood takes his family to Universal Orland Resort; and Jane Lynch is a spokesman for Charmin.

It may not be the most seasonal thing to do, but I spent the holiday season killing zombies. While most people were opening presents and carousing with new toys, I shotgunned and blew up countless walking corpses who all wanted to eat my brains. I survived both Dead Nation and the Red Dead Redemption expansion pack Undead Nightmare, and here is what I learned:

1. If there was ever a zombie apocalypse, the gamers would survive. How do I know this? Well, they’ve been training in virtual ones for years. Dead Nation trained me to read the terrain and figure out how best to use it. You never fight zombies out in the open. You funnel them in narrow corridors and blast away with a backup plan for a quick exit if they start to overwhelm you. Undead Nightmare teaches you to climb the nearest structure, get on the roof and blast the undead until there are none left. Of course, the best zombie survival instruction manual is still the Left 4 Deadseries. It teaches all these techniques but in a group setting so you get the benefit of squad tactics, too.

For the past 12 months, I’ve been keeping a running tally of my favorite games. For nearly 52 weeks, I’ve played almost anything that showed up in my mailbox, reflected on the experience and determine whether they go on this list. As of Dec. 23, there are 27 games and counting.

What can I say? There was a lot to like in 2010. Anticipated projects that were delayed during the 2009 holiday season were released a few weeks later and made the beginning of the year busier than normal. And just when I thought the calendar would clear, there’d be more important games jammed in my mailbox. If we’re going to remember 2010 for one thing, it’d have to be for an embarrassment of riches. Some even say there are too many games out right now.

Amid this post-holiday rush, Bayonetta was initially my favorite. It was the best of the three action titles released in the first three months, topping the much-hyped God of War III and the controversial Dante’s Inferno. It was the one game that immediately felt right when you picked it up. The combat flowed effortlessly and the visuals complemented it, rewarding players for their skill with ridiculous flourishes as Bayonetta’s hair curled and weaved itself into giant boots, dragons and hawks.

The game designer Hideki Kamiya created a combat system that was flexible but not too complicated. It was easy to learn, hard to master, but more importantly, viscerally rewarding. There’s something about Witch Time, a type of parry that slows down time and lets Bayonetta tear foes apart, that works so well on an instinctual level. It’s really gratifying.

Rudolph put up a valiant fight, and so did the Grinch. Even little Ralphie Parker gave it his best shot. But in the end, no one had enough firepower to vanquish the all-powerful Peanuts gang.

That’s how our first Holiday TV Tournament went down. The voters have had their say: “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is the most beloved yuletide program of all time.

And, good grief, it wasn’t even close.

Thanks to all of you who voted and helped to make this a fun holiday project. Who knows? We might have a tournament next year to determine the top holoiday song of all time. Until then, you can check out the complete 32-program bracket by clicking here.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been getting deluged by a different type of mail. No, there weren’t many games, but there were more than a few treats. Nintendo sent a gingerbread house kit, which I turned into a Mario house, and the folks over at EA sent a handy dandy nutcracker themed after a Bulletstorm monster (I’m assuming.). In between those two, I got a half dozen cards from PR teams and publishers. Here’s what Christmas looks like on my desk.

Throughout NBC’s popular reality series, “The Sing-Off,” they were repeatedly hailed as “classy,” “inspirational” and “authentic.” Just about the only adjective not applied to Oakland’s Jerry Lawson and Talk of the Town was “champion.”

No, that distinction was earned by Committed. The gospel quintet from Alabama amassed the most viewer votes and won the title over Nashville rockers, Street Corner Symphony, during Monday’s bloated finale. For their efforts, they take home $100,000, a Sony recording contract and a really ugly trophy.

If Lawson and company were disappointed, it didn’t show. They exited the stage, howling “Hit the Road Jack,” with a hobbling Lawson smiling and waving his cane. Prior to their exit, host Nick Lachey lauded the veteran singers for producing “one helluva comeback.”

“You’ve been an inspiration to us all,” he proclaimed.

Who knows what’s next for Jerry and the guys, but it’s clear that, after performing in anonmity for years, they’ve now got some name recognition. I’m told that they’ve already booked two nights at Yoshi’s in San Francisco during January.

BTW, let’s give a little credit to Lawson’s backup singers, who didn’t really get a lot of face time during the show. They are the actual Oakland residents (Lawson lives in Scottsdale, Ariz.). So give it up for: Carl Douglas, Paul Carrington, Doug Stepney, Andrew Lockwood and Rodney “Chase” Ruffin.

The original headset for the PlayStation 3 came out two years ago. Back then, it came packed in with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation. It was a good value, and the headset itself worked surprisingly well.

It meshed flawlessly with the PS3, boasting an HQ mode that improved noise reduction and made voices come across crystal clear. The difference between the PS3 headset and its console rivals is stark. The headset audio on PS3 was significantly better. That’s why I found it curious that Sony would offer up a new PlayStation headset when the old one worked fine. What could they possibly do to improve on a successful design?

Well, it looks like they can do a good amount. The most immediately noticeable thing about the new Bluetooth headset for the PS3 is the size. Like a lot of gadgets nowadays, it’s gotten smaller and lighter. Hooked over your ear, it’s almost unnoticeable now. You can forget that it’s there at times.

Along with the new design, Sony rearranged the buttons so that they’re more distinct and farther away from one another. You won’t accidentally hit the power button while going for the mic muting button. The charging USB slot is now easier to get to at the bottom instead of having to flip open a lid. The designers even put the volume adjusters on the top side along with answer-call button as well. These changes make the new headset especially geared for phone users, and that’s one of the strengths with this new device. It uses the noise-reduction technology for PS3 games and amplies it to phone calls. I had no problem pairing this up with an iPhone and using it to make some Christmas calls to family and friends. It worked as well on my smartphone as it did on the PS3.

But the question is Does a new design warrant a new purchase? I would say no if you already have the old one. The old PlayStation headset works fine for games though not as well with a phone. Still, it does a serviceable job. On the other hand, if you don’t have one for the PS3 and you’re also looking for a good Bluetooth headset, then you could kill two birds with a single stone and get this one. At $49.99, it’ll definitely save you some money and that’s something everyone could use a little more of this holiday season.

The Jersey Shore has been off our radar for a while, but have no fear “Jwoww is back. She is hawking natural body supplements for GNC. Hurray for her … not.

Also featured today: Kelly Brook makes men weak in the knees at the premiere of “Cario Exit;” Johnny Depp dressed like a cowboy for “The Tourist” photo call; and Jessica Alba looks like a pom-pom at the premiere of “Little Fockers.””